•    HOME   
•    NEWS   
•    BUSINESS   
•    INTERNATIONAL   
•    TECH   
•    SPORTS   
•    LIFE & TIMES   
•    OPINION   
•    MY JAKARTA   
•    BLOGS   
•    EYEWITNESS   

Indonesia is said to have the largest number of Twitter users in Asia. Among the millions of members of the microblogging site are popular celebrities and ministers, whose updates have fired up a public debate or two.

Since the medium is relatively new, there are still many gray areas when it comes to politicians posting updates on the site.

Should they follow certain guidelines with their tweets?

When are their updates mere personal opinions and not the opinions of the institution they represent?

And if they have a Twitter account, should they follow a certain protocol where the official account of their boss, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, is concerned? (The Web site http://doesfollow.com shows that some officials do not necessarily think they should follow the president.)

These days, the most controversial official on Twitter may arguably be the information and communication minister, Tifatul Sembiring. The minister, who is known for his zeal in fighting pornography, opened his Twitter account, @tifsembiring, the day after he took office and has since amassed around 89,000 followers.

“I signed him up on Twitter,” said Ahmad Mabruri, a staff member at the ministry. Ahmad said the decision to do so was influenced by US President Barack Obama, whose successful online campaign has inspired a number of Indonesian officials.

“We trained Tifatul for the first two weeks before he could use the service himself,” Ahmad said.

During the training period, Ahmad’s team was in charge of updating Tifatul’s account while the minister was tutored on basic functions, such as how to reply to tweets, retweet messages and the use of hashtags to categorize tweets.

Eva Kusuma Sundari, a member of the House of Representatives from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), learned about Twitter from her 15-year-old daughter, Maria.

“She signed me up on this thing. At first, it was meant as a personal communication tool with her,” Eva said. “I now use Twitter to directly communicate with people who have the same political interests as I do,” she said of her account, @evndari.

One cause Eva has tweeted about is the planned construction of a new House building. The project has been roundly criticized by the public because of its cost and reports that the new building would include such facilities as a swimming pool and a spa.

“This project has been reduced [by the House secretariat office] into a project for a luxurious building.” Eva tweeted. “It’s a decaying process from within the House. Some people in the secretariat office are greedy and they can’t help it.”

The tweets, posted earlier this month, were retweeted by those who share her sentiment. “I think it’s a good tool for two-way communication,” Eva said of Twitter.

She also said that Twitter was a space where public officials could receive criticism. “If [members of the] House of Representatives are acting up, I receive a lot of harsh comments,” she said. “But it’s a fact that I have to accept. I have to keep calm.”

Andi Arief, presidential adviser for social welfare, knows all too well what it’s like being on the receiving end of harsh comments. He was recently involved in a lengthy exchange on Twitter with one of his followers over clothes.

The Indonesian Forum for Budget Transparency (Fitra), a nongovernmental organization, was recently quoted by news portals Detik.com and Kompas.com as claiming that Rp 839 million ($95,000)was allocated for the president’s yearly clothing allowance.

“There is no such budget [for clothes]. It’s the media who got it wrong,” Andi tweeted via his @andiariefnew account.

But when pressed if the President’s Office would ask the two media outlets to correct the supposedly inaccurate reports, Andi tweeted, “We believe in press freedom. Media can write whatever they want.”

Like Tifatul, Bayu Krisnamurthi, deputy agriculture minister, said that Obama’s Twitter account inspired him to create an account, @bayukr. “I wasn’t interested until I discussed it with some of my friends who were also on Twitter,” Bayu said.

A member since April, Bayu said he liked to be spontaneous with his updates. He uses Twitter to pass the time, especially when he is caught in traffic jams en route to a function.

“There are two things about Twitter,” Bayu said. “First, it’s very social, it’s not personal at all. Second, it’s a tool to spread thoughts and opinions.”

While Bayu may think that this is the case, Tifatul’s team does not necessarily agree with him. For them, Twitter is a very personal medium.

Ahmad said they answered questions and feedback in relation to Tifatul’s role as a minister. But for official ministry updates, they use a different account, @kemkominfo.

“The minister is human. He can un-follow or block someone if he wishes to,” Ahmad said, adding that Tifatul’s followers are by now very familiar with his fondness for short and often rhyming poetry. “It’s a personal account. He can be funny or poetic,” Ahmad said.

While Ahmad claims that it is Tifatul himself who posts his Twitter updates, he acknowledges that he has access to Tifatul’s account. “I also watch over his account. Sometimes, we discuss what a response should be, but the minister does the tweets,” Ahmad said.

The newest kid on the Twitter block is the National Police, which unveiled an account, @divhumaspolri, on Thursday.

As part of their effort to win over the public, particularly after a series of scandals, they are using Twitter to post updates about some of their achievements, including solving major cases.

“Theoretically, we want to be available 24 hours a day,” said Sr. Comr. Marwoto Soeto, chief of the National Police’s public relations division.

However, Marwoto said the updates may be delayed if officers were caught up with other duties.

At the moment, the account is being updated by officers in the information and communication managing bureau, and has only about 3,000 followers.

In comparison, the account of the Jakarta Police’s Traffic Media Center, @TMCPoldaMetro, which opened earlier this year, has more than 100,000 followers who receive live traffic updates.

Veteran blogger Budi Putra says that government officials should use Twitter as an official medium to share updates.

“It should be about what they are doing, what they are working on, their meetings or short comments on government policies,” Budi said.

Budi is of the opinion, however, that officials should not use Twitter in a personal capacity unless they include a disclaimer on their profile pages that the opinions they express do not necessarily represent those of the government.

Tifatul suffered a public backlash when he tweeted that there was a link between natural disasters and moral degeneration.

However, the line between what is official and personal is still a gray area. “This is why users, including ministers and House members, should be wise when posting tweets,” Budi said.

“If the statement is not official or it’s not in their area of expertise, then it’s best for them not to tweet about it.”

Budi says that while Twitter is a good medium because it is accessible, it may not offer the same benefits to a government official. “It is an equalizing platform,” Budi said.

“Everybody can say whatever they want, as the users come from various backgrounds. However, it may not be as easy for state officials to use the platform because they have to be wise, especially in responding to criticism.”